Daniel Hannan MEP in The Daily Mail:
Democracy is not simply a periodic right to mark a cross on a ballot paper. It requires what the political philosophers of Ancient Greece called a ‘demos’, a unit with which we the people can identify.
Take away the demos and you are left only with the ‘kratos’ - a state that must compel by force of law what it cannot ask in the name of patriotism. In the absence of a demos, governments are even likelier than usual to purchase votes through public works schemes and sinecures. Lacking any natural loyalty, they have to buy the support of their electorates...
One way to think of the EU is as a massive vehicle for the redistribution of wealth - though not in a way that many of us would consider fair or beneficial.
Taxpayers in all the states contribute money to Brussels through their national taxes. The bureaucrats then use this huge revenue to purchase the allegiance of consultants, contractors, big landowners, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), corporations, charities and municipalities.
In other words, all the articulate and powerful groups they rely on to keep themselves in employment.
[He missed "bankers" off the list, but let's assume that they were included under "big landowners" or "corporations" by implication.]
From where I'm sitting, we can say exactly the same about the UK government (or most other governments, for that matter), all you have to do is remember that most voters are being bribed with their own money. The majority is being robbed of half their earned income in taxes (real money), and then those taxes are being used to prop up house prices (illusory paper gains), so they don't seem to care, and Hannan doesn't appear to be aware of the irony of his own stance.
Claptrap
11 hours ago
7 comments:
There was a "They own land! Give them money!" story in the papers about Cameron promising to cap care home fees with the deficit being made up by the taxpayer to prevent people being "forced" to sell their homes.
RA, there probably was, but I did one of those recently, and I don't want to stand accused of bashing pensioners.
"most voters are being bribed with their own money"
Once you've been robbed, it is still a bonus if you get some of it back. Of course, it would be better if you weren't robbed in the first place, but, from where most people are standing, that's already happened.
I'm never quite sure about Daniel Hannan. He says things worth listening to, which is rare enough, yet is still part of the establishment.
I genuinely like Hannan. he is articulate and educated and except for continuing to cleave to Local Sales Taxes a good idea, he is more 'Austrian' than most other MP/MEP (Carswell, Baker are other notables). He is also very good in the EU Parliament, although I am sure his telling points made with elegant English, good humour and courtesy are lost on most of the rest of that benighted place.
Is it right that "the majority is being bribed with their own money"?
To some extent it clearly is and the ludicrous tax-credits system is the main example.
But I suspect most vote-buying involves promised (and usually undelivered) bribes with other peoples money.
"But I suspect most vote-buying involves promised (and usually undelivered) bribes with other peoples money."
Until the total amount you get out of the state exceeds the total amount you have paid in taxes to date, it is your money. When it comes to vote-buying, the large sums are usually promised for some sort of "community enhancement". The stuff that is promised to go straight into voters' pockets is usually pretty small beer and, as you say, it nearly always turns out to be lies in any case.
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